Numb
by Emme2589
Summary: 5,000 years after the Axiom lands on Earth, and EVE is trying to cope with becoming a widow. WARNINGS: Depression, Main character death, Suicide attempt.
1. Chapter 1

Luminescent blue eyes opened in the dark. It took a lot of effort.

EVE couldn't remember when it had started. Was it just after he left, or was it a few weeks later? Had it been a month or a year? She wasn't sure anymore.

People liked to say that EVE was aggressive, and she could be at times, but on the inside, she was actually very soft. She supposed it rubbed off on her from spending so much time with WALL-E. In turn, he learned how to defend himself from watching EVE and her sisters fight. He could laser your eyes out if you weren't careful.

EVE's internal clock softly beeped at her; it was 1:00 am, and she still couldn't find the energy to go into stasis. How many hours had it been since she started trying? 5 hours? 12? It all blurred together by now.

She remembered once, a long time ago, when WALL-E would sing her lullabies when she couldn't sleep. She remembered how his rusty hinges squeaked with every subtle movement. She remembered how, no matter what kind of ailment he had, or how progressed his Alzheimer's became, he never forgot about his wife.

How many times would she think of him before she could finally sleep?

* * *

"Haha! I know! Nobody gets as offended as old Margaret!"

"Robots have been around for millennia now! It's amazing people like that are still around!"

"Humans never change, eh?"

EVE's family had gathered to share recent news, but she wasn't really listening. One voice was missing. The family wasn't complete without him.

"Um, actually..." Aya laced her fingers together, "We have some troubling news..."

"Hm?" Fletcher leaned forward in his chair, "What's wrong?"

Aya took a shaking breath, "Eve?"

EVE tiredly lifted her head.

"Um...should I just say it? I don't want to be insensitive...I just...you know..."

Talking took too much effort, so EVE just replied in Binary, iTell them./i

"Okay..." everyone tensed as Aya inhaled, her speaker cracking, "Well, you see...Wall-E has passed away..."

Hearing it out loud made all the feelings come barreling back ten-fold. EVE shook as she choked back a sob. Was he really gone forever?

"Oh no!" Leah gasped.

"Not Wall-E..." Giga-Robo replied.

"That's horrible!" Fletcher covered his mouth with one hand.

Nos stayed quiet. He'd already heard the news, but that didn't make it any less heartbreaking.

Rose grabbed EVE's hand under the table and squeezed. She supposed this was supposed to be comforting, but it just made her heart ache. A few other family members had their own reactions, but EVE tuned them out. She knew she'd be the first target of pity for everyone, and she did not want anyone's pity.

It's not like WALL-E's death was particularly bad or anything, in fact he died with a smile on his face. Everything had been perfect. EVE took him on one last date, flew with him through the sky to gaze at all the stars, had one last dance...EVE held him close and sang to him until he fell asleep, his hardrive breaking down and losing all of its data. Everything about him was so broken, EVE could barely stand to look at him.

She had given him one last kiss, one last song, one last dance.

One last perfect moment. He died happy.

EVE kept telling herself that, over and over, but no matter how many times she reaffirmed that he'd had the best life he could ever ask for, why...?

 _Why does it still hurt so much?_

EVE broke down right there. She couldn't hold the tears back anymore. All her sisters rushed around her to give her hugs, but it didn't seem to work. After losing so many friends to time; John, Mary, Jonathan, Hannah, Ted, AUTO, Rio...

Why did _he_ have to be next?

* * *

It had been a few weeks. There had been a wake and a funeral. Trees were planted in all the graves, and WALL-E had specifically asked to be buried under the giant oak tree that towered over the first forest in New York City. More than 100,000 people (human and robot alike) came to his funeral, and thousands mourned his death long after it was all over.

EVE stared at the grave for a long time. Her eyes wouldn't move from his name carved into the ornate stone that was placed over his body near the tree. He was one with the Earth, just like he had always wanted.

She wanted to be with him so bad.

A hovering sound behind her brought her back to reality.

"Eve?"

She knew the voice. It was her sister Leah. She was too tired to respond, it was taking everything she had just to stay in the air.

"Um, V-Gr called today." Leah hovered a little closer, "He says they have an extra room in the house for you. He tried to call your comm link, but you wouldn't pick up."

EVE figured she would have missed calls, but she didn't care either.

 _I don't want the bed._ EVE insisted, _I stay in the yard, in his truck._

"Eve..." Leah moved to EVE's side to grab her hand, "Have you not been sleeping?"

 _I slept._ EVE said. It wasn't a lie; She'd managed to stay in stasis for 14 minutes before she had a nightmare about WALL-E falling into a garbage grinder. She couldn't get her processor to calm down until morning.

"Well, clearly not very well." Leah stepped in front of EVE, "Come stay with me and Rose, okay? I can help you."

EVE scowled, _I don't want your help._

Leah narrowed her eyes, taking both of EVE's hands in her own, "It wasn't an offer; it was a command. You shouldn't be alone at a time like this, believe me!"

EVE tried to stand tall, _I don't want your help!_

"Well then what _do_ you want, Eve!?"

EVE was doing her best to look angry and not sad, _I want to be with WALL-E!_

"Eve, listen to me-!"

"I SAID I DON'T WANT YOUR HELP!" EVE pushed Leah away, "LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Leah looked heartbroken.

"Just leave me alone with him!" EVE turned back to stare at the grave.

Leah wanted to keep trying to persuade EVE to come home and get some rest, but she knew her sister's resolve.

Leah sighed, "You won't find him out here." she backed off a little bit, "I'm going home now. You know where to find me."

And then she was gone.

EVE felt numb.

 _"I'm sorry..." the roboticist told them (EVE couldn't remember his name, she thought it might be "Gerald"), "But his circuit boards are too damaged. He will begin to lose memories. We can't upload his consciousness to a new computer without damaging his current memories."_

 _EVE tried to process this. It didn't work._

 _"I'm sorry, Wall-E." Dr. Gerald continued, "But you only have a few more years left to live."_

 _WALL-E let his frown deepen, "I understand."_

 _EVE wasn't taking it well._

 _WALL-E took her hands in his, "Eve, it's alright!" his voice was calm, "I've lived a good life! Don't worry about me. I'll wait for you."_

 _EVE shook her head. She knew this day would come, but she never realized how fast time could fly. Now her baby was at death's door while her system was still functioning at optimal conditions._

 _EVE whispered, "It's not okay."_

 _"Yes it is, Eve." he smiled warmly at her, "Just because I'm going to die doesn't mean I'd ever leave you. I'll be with you. As long as you remember me, I will be by your side forever."_

 _"No! Don't talk like that!" EVE exploded, "You're not going to die! You're not going to leave me all alone! You'd never lose your memories!" EVE began to cry, "You'd never forget about me!"_

 _"Eve." WALL-E held EVE's head still, cupping both of her cheeks in his hands. He spoke softly, forcing her to be quiet so she could hear him, "I will never forget you. I promise."_

 _Dr. Gerald frowned, "Don't make a promise you can't keep, Wall-E."_

 _WALL-E glared at him, "I. Will. Never. Forget. My. Wife."_

 _EVE was touched, but the dread was too strong to really feel, "Wall-E..."_

 _"Evah." WALL-E wrapped his stiff arms around her, resting his head beneath hers, "I love you. I could never express how much I love you."_

 _"WALL-E!" EVE returned the hug, sobbing into his neck, "WALL-E, PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME! I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT YOU, PLEASE!"_

 _Please..._

 _Please stay with me..._

EVE finally found the strength to pry herself away from the grave, heading back home to go to bed.


	2. Chapter 2

_"I can't believe he's gone!"_

EVE closed the door of the big house, hearing her daughter Willow crying upstairs.

"Sh, I know." her husband V-GR was crying too, but not as heavily, "But he's in a better place now. He's okay."

"But I miss him!" Willow sobbed, "He was my best friend!"

V-GR had tragically lost his father too, so he understood. As he tried to calm her down, EVE slipped into the backyard, where WALL-E's truck had sat for more than 4,000 years. It was where EVE felt most at home.

It felt empty though. Without him.

EVE rocked the shelf back and forth. Chibi-Robo liked to keep them clean, so they didn't squeak. It was weird. It looked too new. EVE didn't like new, because it's not what WALL-E was.

Still. She took her usual place near the back, tucking all her limbs in and closing her eye-forms.

12 am. 2 am. 5 am. Each hour crawled until time was meaningless. EVE tried to think about WALL-E to calm her down, but it just made her heart hurt again. Still, she couldn't stop herself. She began to daydream about one of her happiest memories with him;

 _EVE's battery lept into her throat. WALL-E had gone after the plant, and as a result, he had barreled off into space and exploded in the self-destruction sequence of the escape pod._

 _EVE blinked, the overwhelming horror boiling in her system so new and unfamiliar, "No..." she murmured, "No." she flew after him._

 _"eeeEEEE-!"_

 _What the!?_

 _"-VAAaah!"_

 _EVE felt herself involuntarily smiling, "Wall-E!"_

 _She tried to follow him, "Wall-E!"_

 _And went right past him._

 _"Oh!" EVE turned again. WALL-E had something in his hands. He pressed something on it and he began to drift toward her. It was a fire extinguisher._

 _"Ah..." EVE wanted to be angry with him, but she was just so happy that he was alive. He sprayed her in the face with the white foam and she waved her arm around, giggling._

 _WALL-E used the force from the red canister to spin himself around. He seemed anxious about something._

 _EVE brushed it off, "Wall-E." she reached out to him. Time to go back inside._

 _WALL-E beeped at her, waving his hand as if to say,_ wait a second! _EVE was confused._

 _WALL-E opened his trash compartment, "Evah."_

 _She blinked. It was the plant._

 _TAKE TO AXIOM SUPERIOR_

 _EVE gasped, "WALL-E!" she grabbed the plant with her stasis beam, locking it safely in her stasis chamber,_ You saved the plaaant! _she grabbed him and spun him around and around, screaming and laughing joyously. She'd never been so happy! It felt so amazing! She could fulfil her directive and not be a failure!_

 _She pulled him back to look into his eyes, giving him a big spark between them._

 _A kiss._

 _WALL-E seemed to black out for a moment. As EVE let go of him, he sighed in wonder, spinning very slowly as his solar charge display fluctuated. It was a type of affection he'd never experienced. It was invigorating._

 _"Ahhh~"_

 _EVE giggled. His reaction was cute, "Wall-E." she waved her arm. They had to go back inside._

 _WALL-E came to, shaking his head. He used the fire extinguisher again to twist around, "Yoohoo!" he lifted his eyebrows before he flew away._

 _EVE laughed, following after him._

 _"Woopee!"_

 _EVE kept laughing as she followed him. He seemed to be playing some kind of game, but EVE didn't care how childish he was being. She loved it. She relished in this feeling of just having fun for the sake of having fun. WALL-E did a flip in the air, and EVE copied easily, still laughing. They spun around and around, twirling in a dance through space, and every moment was perfect. EVE wouldn't admit this to herself at the time, but she never wanted it to end. She wanted to be with him like this forever._

 _Finally, the extinguisher ran out of foam, and WALL-E was left hopelessly floating away. EVE gently scooped him up, holding him in her arms. They would have to go inside now._

 _Yet, EVE found herself rooted on the spot. The Axiom seemed to drift away from them so only the stars were visible. The world was oddly foggy, like looking through a window in a snowstorm. It was almost like the epitome of being light-headed._

 _She was confused, this isn't how it happened._

 _She looked down into WALL-E's eyes. His stare held no love, like she remembered. his gaze was blank._

 _She couldn't look away, "Wall-E?"_

 _WALL-E looked at her intensely, "Why?"_

 _EVE felt like they were beginning to fall, out through space._

 _"Wh-why what?"_

 _WALL-E's stare turned from blank to sad, "Why didn't you save me?"_

 _EVE suddenly realized they were falling, faster and faster, the stars and galaxies shifting and boiling, turning into something rancid. She held onto him, afraid he would fly away, and in response he grabbed her arms so hard it hurt._

 _"Ah!" EVE cringed, "W-Wall-E! It's not my fault I did all I could!"_

 _"You're a liar." WALL-E seethed, "I died because of you. It would have been so easy for you to save me and you didn't. Why? I don't understand."_

 _EVE was horrified at how broken he looked. He was betrayed, hurt, confused. She couldn't blame him._

 _"Please!" EVE felt her fingers slipping, but she refused to let go, even when her knuckles felt weak and shaky, "I love you so much! I didn't mean it! I'm sorry!"_

 _"It's too late, now." he wasn't even yelling, he wasn't even angry, he was just depressed, "You had your chance and you let me go. I trusted you and you left me. You killed me."_

 _"I'm sorry!" EVE clung to him even more, "I'm so sorry!"_

 _"Eve." WALL-E loosened his grip on her, "Sorry won't bring me back."_

 _He flew from her grasp, falling into an infinite whiteness that was hotter than the sun._

 _"Wall-E, no!" she screamed, "WALL-EEE!"_

EVE jerked awake, slamming into a shelf and causing all of WALL-E's replacement parts to come crashing down on her. She lifted her head, staring into a pair of broken optics. She flew backwards in shock, hitting her head on the wall behind her. Another dent added to the collection.

 _Ow..._ EVE rubbed the new dent near the top of the back of her head. She tried to initiate a system cooldown, which failed a few times to match her panic. Finally, she had the courage to open up her eyes again and look at the room around her. Those two broken optics at the top of the pile stared at her vacantly. It looked almost just like the optics in her nightmare, right near the end before she woke up. It was haunting how similar it looked.

EVE felt stiff and shaky as she reached for the two eyes. The dream was still fresh in her mind, and she doubted she could forget it any time soon.

Those eyes.

"I'm sorry..." EVE took the eyes in her hands, cradling them close, _"I'm so sorry..."_

She cried into them, her screen glitching and flaring up with each new sob that wracked her body. She missed his eyes. She missed his shovel-like hands. She missed his treads and solar panels and wheels and box body. She missed his wisdom and kindness and optimism and love.

She missed him. She missed everything about him.

Finally, she lifted her head, determination alight in her eyes.

 _Don't worry, Wall-E._ she dropped the eyes and quietly left the house.

 _I'm coming for you._


	3. Chapter 3

EVE didn't believe in any kind of afterlife. Why believe in something that has no proof? But as EVE glided through the night on the clouds, she hoped that there was some kind of afterlife. That way, she could be with her beloved. And if an afterlife didn't exist, then she would fall into blissful ignorance of anything and everything. No memories, no emotions, no pain.

But the best thing WALL-E had given her was her ability to love. To feel. Was it truly better to have loved and have lost than to have never loved at all? What if you forgot all your memories and emotions and just feel...nothing...?

EVE was about to find out.

There happened to be a storm that night, and not just like a rainstorm, but like an _ocean violently crashing against the cliffsides_ kind of storm. They didn't often get storms like this, and it was the perfect cover for what EVE was about to do.

She was nervous to say the least. She could feel the "butterflies in your stomach" thing that humans liked to say, and her fingers were shaking and clattering. She felt cold.

She looked over the edge of the cliff. She was very far from home, so far in fact that this area was still barren and brown. No plant life. Just dirt. She had to be very far away to get there, in fact. EVE passed by several signs on her way that said things like, "Welcome to Virginia" and "Welcome to Georgia". By now, she thought she was somewhere in Florida. She wasn't sure, though. One thing she knew for sure is that she saw the last of civilization several state lines ago. Each new city she passed by had less and less agriculture until she found the dirt and sand. She couldn't help but smile as she saw all of it. All of this happened because of WALL-E. Because he saved the plant that got them home.

He had done it for her. It was like his never-ending gift to her.

She shook her head. The sadness was gone. Anticipation crawled through every part of her metal. She would see him soon. That was the thought that kept her going.

After hours of flying, her fingers numb from the cold of the storm, she found a perfect secluded place to commit her crime. She looked out over the rocky cliff, seeing the gray ocean slam against it. It made her dizzy, looking at it. She wobbled on the edge, keeping her balance by just a thread. If she simply threw herself into the ocean, her death would be long and painful. She couldn't have that.

Instead, she'd stashed something away that WALL-E had had in his collection for several years before she met him. Something that would help with the pain and the quickening of her death. She flipped it open. It was an old, rusty butterfly knife. She'd sharpened the edge before flying all the way out here, so much so that it easily made cuts through stacks of paper and cardboard. She'd even tested it on stucco and drywall. Looking at it made her giggle like a crazy little girl.

Her head was pounding as she ran a thumb over the dull edge of the blade, watching it glint in the little sunlight that existed through the storm. The sharpened edge had no rust, so it sparkled like a promise of greater things. She waited for remorse, or guilt, or regret, something that would stop her from doing this. Stop her from joining her love.

There was none.

EVE opened her stasis chamber, pressing the edge of the knife gently to the inside of her chest. She was trying to calculate how quickly she could do this with minimal pain. She managed to locate the inner nerves that detected damage. The blade was in just the right place, angled just so, for optimal painless damage.

 _Here goes nothing..._

She made the first cut, straight up. It hurt like fire for a second, but then it dulled. She'd killed the nerves. Her HUD was flashing red lights at her, warning her that she was in a life-threatening situation and she _needed to get out now!_ The chemical reaction that created worked just like adrenaline, and it felt so good. She wanted more of that feeling, but with the growing fogginess in her head, it was hard to find more of the nerves to kill.

The second cut was more shaky. It went up into another set of nerves. More adrenaline, more pain. The fogginess was even stronger now, blurring her vision. She lifted her hand to her face, seeing a yellowish fluid all over her fingers. It made her panic for a second; she'd already hit her battery casing.

WARNING: SEVERE DAMAGE TO INNER CASING OF STASIS CHAMBER AND INTERNAL SELF-CHARGING BATTERY

Her eyes were sore from staring through the fog and all the flashing lights from her diagnostics. She realized that her body was just trying to protect her, but it annoyed her all the same. Why did her body have to protect her like this?

Each cut after that was very shaky, but full of resolve. The third cut sliced through some more nerves, dulling the pain and heightening the adrenaline. The fourth cut sliced open her battery, making the bleeding come thicker and faster. One last cut, and the battery was nearly empty. The casing was tough, so it took a lot of effort to break through completely, especially in her drunken bleeding-out haze, but she'd done it. Her stasis chamber, arms, and the ground beneath her were completely covered in the yellowish battery acid. Seeing it all and being emptied so fast made her feel sick, like she'd just vomited.

EVE's head swam. The dull aching subsided into a pleasant kind of numbness that radiated through her chest. Her fingers felt heavier than lead as she pulled the knife out and dropped it on the ground. The clanging as it fell was distorted in her fuzzy head that was still flashing every color at her display. Somehow, she couldn't see it anymore.

She giggled. It was time.

Looking over the edge made the dizziness come back, but she put it out of her mind. She couldn't fly into the water, that took too much mental power, so instead, she hovered over the edge and prepared to drop. Soon, the water would short-circuit her entire system, killing her instantly. She loved the relief the adrenaline provided, but the longer she stayed her, the longer she stayed away from WALL-E.

Even through the fog, she managed to mumble with a smile, _"D-don't worry...W-Wall-E..."_ she spread her arms out, feeling the breeze in the stinging and crackling in her battery.

 _"...I'm coming..."_

And she fell.

 ** _"EEEVE!"_**

She stopped falling almost immediately. The jostling caused more pain. She pushed away from whoever was dumb enough to try and save her.

"EVE, ARE YOU CRAZY!?" it was Leah. She forced EVE to lay on her back so the battery acid would stop bleeding from her open battery while also trying to keep the rainwater out. She had to shout over the storm, "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?"

"Ugh..." EVE groaned, "S-stop...you're hu-urting m-me!"

"I'M HURTING YOU, HUH!?" Leah shook a can of temporary solidifier, spraying it over the wounds so they'd stop bleeding until they found a robotics center, "YOU DIDN'T THINK ABOUT WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF YOU JUST WENT AND OFFED YOURSELF!? YOU _IDIOT!"_

EVE was in so much pain. Why did Leah have to jostle her around so much!?

 _Please stop._ EVE thought, _Please, please, please..._

 _Let me go..._

* * *

Leah already knew she wasn't going to give up completely. EVE's outburst was unusual, and she wasn't going to simply leave her while she wallowed in her own misery, so she made a mental note to check on EVE by morning.

She groggily woke up to the sun shining on her visor. She'd been working at her desk into the wee hours of the morning, having fallen asleep in her chair.

She bolted upright. _Eve!_

Leah flew from the house, just grabbing a repair kit on her way out. She flew right over Willow and V-GR's house straight to the truck.

"Eve!" Leah threw the entire door open. A piece of paper fluttered to the ground with EVE's handwriting hastily scrawled on it. She grabbed it and began to read, feeling digital tears collect behind her screen.

 _I'm going to find Wall-E. Don't come after me. It's okay, I'll be happy once we're reunited._

 _-Eve_

 _"Oooh nooooo..."_ Leah didn't have time to gather any family members. Who knows how long ago this note was made? Instead, Leah commed the Axiom Emergency Center as she flew towards the middle of the city, not knowing what else to do.

"I need help!" Leah exclaimed into the call, "My sister left a suicide note and I have no idea where she is!"

 _"Calm down, miss. What's your sister's name?"_

"Extra-Terrestrial Vegetation Evaluator 'Eve' Probe One!" she practically shouted.

The operator paused, _"Your sister is...?"_

"Yes! My sister is the famous Eve! Just find her, please!"

 _"Done, Ma'am."_ the operator sent a GPS link straight to her internal map, _"She's still alive."_

"Thank you so much!" she hung up and streaked across the sky, praying she wouldn't be too late. If only she'd had time to gather some real help, but EVE was on the other side of the country!

 _"Please, Eve..."_ Leah mumbled as she flew, her words lost as she broke the sound barrier, _"Please don't do anything stupid..."_

She made it just in time to watch her sister, bleeding and delirious, nearly throw herself off the cliff.

 ** _"EEEVE!"_**


	4. Chapter 4

Leah got EVE to the nearest Robotics Center she could find, which was an independent factory in South Carolina. Unfortunately, they didn't have the tools nor the knowledge to repair an EVE Probe from Axiom, so she had to be transferred to a Robotics Center in North Carolina. Leah was neck-deep in panic the whole time. Based on the damage that had been done, she was so sure EVE wouldn't survive. It would take a miracle to save her, she was sure.

Luckily, the Center in North Carolina was able to identify that EVE still had enough acid in her battery to keep her in suspended animation until further repairs could be made, and no water leaked into her wounds during the storm, the mineral damage that had been done was only surface damage and wouldn't have any long-term side effects once she had a chance to go in for repairs.

12 hours and plenty of panic-attacks later, EVE was in a calm state of healing in a glass chamber full of a thick jelly-like blue liquid. Several cords and wires were attached to her from the bottom of the chamber on all sides of her body. Leah was just waiting patiently for her to wake up. If only she had Rose with her, she was really good about calming her panic-attacks. She commed her sister, knowing she must be awake by now.

 _"Hey, Leah. Where'd you go?"_

Leah sighed, "To check on Eve."

 _"Oh yeah, you mentioned that last night."_ Rose replied, _"What happened?"_

"Um..." Leah twisted her fingers around, "Sh-she, uh...she..."

 _"Leah, stop."_ Rose instructed, _"Breathe."_

Leah took a sharp breath. It calmed her somewhat, "Oh my God, Rose! She tried to k-kill herself!"

Rose paused.

 _"Wh-what did you say...?"_

"She missed Wall-E so much that she wanted to reunite with him!" Leah began to cry for the twentieth time that day. She couldn't speak anymore.

 _"What!?"_ Rose exclaimed, _"Where are you!?"_

"S-somewhere in North Carolina..."

 _"That far!?"_ some thumping could be heard on Rose's end of the call, like she was looking for something, _"Do you want me to gather the others?"_

"N-no..." Leah took another shaky breath. More people was the last thing she needed, "J-just you, please..."

 _"Okay."_ Rose said, _"Um...I'll be there soon."_

* * *

36 hours after that, EVE was finally healed from all the damage she'd done to herself.

Leah held Rose's hand while the liquid was drained and the wires were pulled out. EVE's screen flickered for a moment, trying to focus among all the lights and patterns around the laboratory. Finally, her blue eyes settled, glassy and emotionless.

Leah felt herself shaking. Was she too late?

EVE jolted as she remembered what had happened within the past several hours. Her eyes widened into big bright circles, then they relaxed into sad crescents.

She was still alive.

EVE realized that her family would never let her out of their sights after this. She could never pull a stunt like this again. She should have been quicker.

She turned her head to the side, seeing the familiar orange and hot pink eyes of Leah and Rose. The first question on her mind was, _Why did you save me?_ But she didn't ask it out loud. She knew that question would only make her sisters upset, so she stayed quiet for the time being.

Instead, Leah decided to ask her own question;

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING!?"

EVE cringed at the sudden noise. Her head was still pounding.

"DID YOU REALLY THINK THAT LEAVING EVERYONE BEHIND WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA!?" Leah screamed, "YOU DIDN'T THINK ABOUT ALL THE FAMILY YOU HAD LEFT!? HOW YOUR SELFISH ACT WOULD HURT PEOPLE!? HOW COULD YOU!?"

EVE squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the ringing in her ears to subside before she spoke.

Her voice was hoarse, "I just...I just wanted to be with Wall-E..."

Leah's voice caught in her throat before she could scream again.

"I miss him so much...nothing feels the same without him...I feel so numb all the time, and when I'm not numb, I feel so sad...I hate it...I just wanted it to stop..."

Leah began to shake, not from fear this time, but from rage.

She grabbed her delirious sister and shook her violently, "WHAT ABOUT WILLOW!?"

EVE's eyes flew open.

"DID YOU REALLY THINK SHE'D BE OKAY SUDDENLY LOSING BOTH HER PARENTS!? WHAT ABOUT V-GR AND COBALT!? WHAT ABOUT ALL YOUR GREAT-GRANDCHILDREN AND GREAT-GREAT-GRANDCHILDREN!?" Leah's voice was throbbing and her microphone was ringing from the volume, but she kept shouting at the top of her lungs, "WHAT ABOUT AYA AND ME AND ROSE!? I KNOW YOU'RE OLD, BUT YOU HAVE MORE TO LIVE FOR THAN JUST WALL-E! We still _need_ you!" she finally let her voice drop, _"I_ Need you."

EVE thought about what she'd just been told. The more she thought about it, the worse she felt. The feeling rising up through her chest was familiar, but she almost didn't recognize it at first. The feeling was...the name of it was...

Guilt.

"Do you really think this is what Wall-E would have wanted?" Leah continued, "To see you die by your own hand instead of living the rest of your life?"

EVE remembered how she'd sliced open her throat and her heart. It was a bloodbath.

"Oh..." EVE held onto her sister.

"Oh is right, pal." Leah held EVE close to herself, "It's okay, though. Remember when you saved my life from my own suicide attempt?"

EVE had to think back a bit, it was a long time ago, "Yeah...I remember..."

"And to think..." Leah laughed sadly, "I know you didn't find me originally, but I doubt I would have lived without you."

Rose joined in the hug. EVE felt warm inside. It was the first time she'd felt truly loved in a long time.

The numb fog was gone.

EVE began to cry, the sudden feeling too much for her, "Thank you for saving me...I did something really dumb, didn't I?"

"Yes you did, but it's fine. I forgive you." Leah stroked the back of EVE's head.

"I forgive you too." Rose added, "But please never do that again."

"I won't." EVE sniffled, "I swear I won't."

The three sisters didn't want to move, so they stayed there. They stayed until the sun was high in the sky and people were wondering where they had gone. They had to leave eventually.

But that didn't mean they wanted to.

"Leah?"

"Mhm?"

EVE pulled out of the hug just enough to look into Leah's eyes, "Can I stay at your house for awhile?"

Leah laughed, "Yes, please."

"We'll be happy to have you."


	5. Chapter 5

EVE blinked as the sunlight streamed through the window of Leah and Rose's guest bedroom. She brought her arms out so she could roll over stiffly. It had been a long time since she slept horizontally, and waking up in such a different place was jarring at first. It really seemed to solidify that WALL-E was gone.

Wall-E...

EVE buried her face in the pillow so she could cry again. She'd already cried plenty on the way home, but it seemed that she still couldn't get it all out. It's not like she'd _already cried herself asleep, no she needed to cry more._

"Mom!?" Willow burst into the room, "GUYS! SHE'S AWAKE!"

People crowded into the room, from all walks of EVE's life. All her living sisters, Nos and Fletcher, a few of EVE's human friends, M-O, Chibi and Giga, all talking at the same time. EVE tried to block all the sudden noise, but it just made her head spin even more.

Finally, she just yelled, **_"STOOOP!"_**

They did.

EVE rubbed her screen futily, "Ow..." she felt the heat in her face at seeing all her family gathered around to see her cry.

They all looked very sorry for her.

"Don't pity me!" EVE spat as she straightened up. The sudden movement caused her to fall back down, but she was still seething, "Just stop! Leave me alone!"

"Guys." Leah pushed through everyone else, "I think she needs some space."

One by one, people began to leave. EVE closed her eyes against all the light and sound, wishing once again that she had succeeded. At least then she'd have some peace and quiet.

By the time EVE had the courage to open her eyes again, only two people were left; Willow and Leah.

Willow took her mother's hand under the covers, "Mom?"

EVE shook her head, looking away. She was feeling that guilt again.

"Are you okay?" Willow continued, "Leah told me what happened."

EVE sighed, "And you're not mad at me?"

"Oh, believe me, I'm quite mad at you." Willow didn't let her voice become too salty, "But you've been yelled at enough. I don't think you need that right now. Just...how could you leave me like that!? After I lost my best friend!"

"Willow..." EVE grabbed both of Willow's hands with each of her own, "I'm so sorry. I know it was stupid, I'll never do that again."

"You'd better not!" Willow said, "I accept your apology this time, but next time I'll be livid!"

EVE leaned back into the bed sheets, "That's fair."

"Hey, Eve?" Leah placed her own hand over the others, "Trust me when I say; no one pities you. They're just empathizing. We'll do whatever we can to help you, okay? I promise."

"I-I just..." EVE began to cry again, "Nothing feels the same without Wall-E...I hate it..."

"Mom!" Willow gripped her hands tighter, "Stop that! You'll make _me_ cry again!"

"I can't help it!"

"Sh..." Leah wrapped both of them up in a hug, "It's not the end of the world. Wall-E isn't gone."

EVE looked up at her, "Wh-what do you mean?"

Leah waited for both of them to settle down again before she continued, "Wall-E is here. With us. Right now." EVE's quizzical look urged her to keep talking, "He told me once, before he forgot about me, that as long as he was remembered, he would stay with us. In our hearts."

EVE could feel her blood begin to boil, "I don't want him in my heart. I want him in my arms."

"He is here." Leah insisted, "When I remember all the things he did, all the good times he gave us, all the happy memories we share, it doesn't feel distant at all. He is here, Eve."

"But he's not!"

"Eve, listen to me." Leah seemed to become a bit more stern with her words, "Think about him. Really think about him. Remember who he was, what he did with you, and how you changed for the better because of him."

EVE was still confused, "But..."

"Maybe you'll understand if I tell you a story." Leah had been a social worker for millennia, so she always had stories like this on her hard drive, "Once, there was a tree. This tree started as just a seed. It rained on the seed, and the seed grew into a sapling. The sapling dug its roots deep into the Earth and spread its branches high into the sky. The sapling grew in the sunlight and rain water, until eventually, the tree became tall and proud, towering high over the grassy hills of its home."

EVE furrowed her brow, but she didn't interrupt.

"The tree was home to many animals. It was shelter to birds and squirrels, who loved the tree for the service it freely gave. The tree loved them too, because the more animals flocked to the tree, the more it could flurish. The tree and the animals lived together for a very long time, many years passed by as seasons came and go, storms, fires, and all other kinds of hardships beat down on the tree, but it continued to grow, tall and strong, providing for the generations of animals that loved it so much.

"But one day, the tree was in one particularly bad storm. The tree was old and frail, its bark brittle and its leaves dry. The tree fell over in the storm, its once-strong roots being ripped from the dirt. The tree died, leaving behind a long trunk and a hole in the ground where it had built its home. More animals flocked to the tree, seeking shelter from the elements, and the animals loved the tree, even after it was gone." Leah paused to let that soak in.

"So..." Leah looked up into EVE's eyes, "Did the tree disappear?"

EVE blinked, "N-no?"

"Did the animals stop loving the tree?"

"No."

"Even after millions of years, when the tree is nothing but coal, it still left its mark. The deep depression in the ground never went away. The animals could still find shelter with the tree, even when the tree was long gone."

"Okay, but what's your point?" EVE asked, agitated, "What does this have to do with Wall-E?"

"It has everything to do with Wall-E." Leah replied, still calm, "Wall-E left his mark. He loved the people around him, and everyone loved him as well. Even though he's not physically with us any more, he left something behind that will _never_ go away."

EVE frowned.

"Now, tell me, Eve." Leah squeezed her hands, "Will you ever forget about Wall-E? Will your happy memories of him ever fade?"

EVE sighed, "No..."

"Then he's not really gone, is he?" Leah smiled.

EVE pondered this. She would never hold WALL-E's hand again. She would never hold him in her arms again. She would never hear his voice again, and she would never kiss him again.

But she could still watch Hello, Dolly! with him. She could still dance with him and laugh with him. She could still love him and love her memory of him. She would still remember him.

No matter what happened, he would still be with them. In spirit. In memory.

EVE laughed through her tears, "Th-thank you, Leah..."

Willow sniffled, "That was a great analogy."

Leah giggled, "Come here, you two."

And she held them like that. And somewhere, in EVE's mind, she could feel WALL-E's arms around them as well.

 _"I'm not going anywhere."_ she imagined he would say, _"You're stuck with me forever."_

EVE smiled at this, _Good._

 _That's just how I like it._

THE END

* * *

 **Originally, the previous chapter was the end, but I felt the story didn't have enough closure as is, so I added this last one to wrap things up a little better. I think this conclusion is nicer, wouldn't you say?**

 **I am an evil, evil person.**


End file.
